We have arrived, After a long time in the making, The Fraser Canyon Express is ready for distribution. We are here to serve Boston Bar and North Bend, to inform and entertain . Our paper will be a community publication, addressing the issues that concern us, here in our town. We will accept letters to the editor in each issue, and we will publish short articles of interest submitted by our local residents. We will cover local news stories, and community events. We will be distributed to local businesses twice each month. A special column entitled " Ask your Neighbour" will allow our citizens to share problems and advice. The Express salute will compliment someone on a job well done. The Fraser Canyon Express welcomes contributions of original art work, comics or puzzles. We want you to be involved in this publication, so please let us know what you would like to see included.

In the years that I have lived in North Bend, I have been fortunate to enjoy many fun activities; wild game dinners, dances, celebrations, May Days and craft sales, just to name a few. I frequently notice that these functions are poorly attended. Why is this? The answer is simple, I have found that many people simply weren't aware of these events. A lot of hard work goes into the planning, it must be frustrating and disappointing to have so few show up. I felt our town needed a small newspaper. I wanted to create a publication for our community that will let everyone know what's happening . I will strive to give you a good read, and to inform you in the process. If you read about a community event in this paper that sounds like fun, mark it on your calendar and please be sure to attend. If you have something planned, let us know and we will include your event in our next issue. Crystal Kimber

A Resounding "Bravo" goes out to Pardeep Purewal, for his contributions to his school and community through volunteer work. He is also this year's recipient of The Service Award. Nominated by his school principal, Thor Manson.

Thor Manson Suggests possible alternatives to

The Beehive Burner

Thor Manson, Principal of Boston Bar Elementary/Secondary School, recently made comments to a Vancouver newspaper, regarding toxic emissions from our local beehive burner. Mr. Manson stands by his comments, however he has a few suggestions for alternative methods of disposing of our wood waste. He asserts that his goal is not to close down the mill, he is, however, very concerned about the air quality in our community and it's effect on our children's health. "The waste could be transported to a co-generation plant" he says. "These plants burn waste wood and produce electricity, since BC Hydro is a crown corporation, they could be forced to buy this energy. The money generated would offset the cost of transportation". "Another alternative" says Manson, "is for pulp mills to take this waste wood. I understand that these things cost money, but the provincial government could offer tax credits to help pay for the cost of transportation. I am sure there are many more things that could be done, these are just my layman's ideas." These suggestions were also outlined in a letter to the MLA. A spokesman for JS Jones tells us that a co-generation plant was planned for Lytton or Lillooet , but for some reason those plans fell through. The main issue is the cost of transportation, " If there was any thing available to us to help pay for the cost of transporting the waste, it would have been done a long time ago" he says " The provincial government charges us burning fees, thousands of dollars a year, this money then goes to pay for people to come out here and do air quality studies" he says "guess what...the air quality readings don't change, regardless of whether we're burning or not. The only time those readings change is when we have heavy traffic on the highway. In fact, the mill was closed for two weeks, and the air quality readings didn't change. The way most people in town see it," he says, " Smoke means work." An employee of JS Jones, who prefers to remain anonymous, says, " The burner is not antique, as Manson said in (the article), it is a very efficient machine, but it requires some maintenance, and it needs someone to regulate the temperature. When it burns hot, it burns smokeless." The closest co-generation plant is Campbell River, on Victoria Island,however, a Vancouver based consulting firm , Pacific Power Consultants, have been conducting a feasibility study, since May, to determine the costs of generating electricity from the wood-waste at Houston and Smithers. No findings have been released so far.

Gardening In Boston Bar and North Bend By Allison Ross

After a long winter chill, summer is the time that canyon gardeners know they live in the right place. The Fraser Canyon starts to heat up in May and heat loving plants like tomatoes and roses perform in ways that turn us into shameless braggarts to our poor friends who live on the soggy coast. There are other attributes of our beautiful canyon that make plants thrive. We have fabulous drainage. Most of us have access to as much water as we want or need. Because of our surrounding forest, meadows, and the mighty Fraser, we have bird life and pollinating insects in abundance that happily move in and tend our gardens. There are some basic things that we can do to help our gardens grow. First, we must know, and be respectful of our zone. We are Zone 5, or perhaps in warmer winters or sheltered spots, Zone 6 (higher is warmer, lower is colder). We are wise if we match our plants to those that thrive in Zone 5 or lower, because these are the old dependables that flourish no matter what winter brings. Most nursery stock is well labeled with the zone: if not, those that work in nurseries are most helpful with this information. Second, we must be aware of the pitfalls of that fabulous drainage mentioned earlier. The glaciers that moved through our area creating our canyon left rocks, gravel and, at best, sand, that drains thoroughly, but is very "thin" soil. For most plants to thrive, we must build up the soil with humus. (more about that next issue) Third, again because of the good drainage and heat, we must be aware that we need to water our gardens often. A gray sky or light rain does not preclude the need to water our gardens. Likewise a heavy rain that is over in less than thirty minutes is not sufficient. This is another reason we need to build up our soil: a richer soil with more humus holds the water more effectively. It is also another reason for us to choose plants that like good drainage, or even can withstand drier soil. We must check those labels, and ask for assistance to choose appropriate plants. Fortunately, all of these chores can be done fairly easily, and very economically. The benefit of having a garden to sit in during our hot summer days is all worth the toll. If you have not got a garden, find a small patch and do some dreaming about what your garden could look like.